Jozi My Jozi is passionate about Johannesburg. This non-profit wants the City of Gold to realise its potential as a dynamic, flourishing and creative urban centre.
However, Joburgers have a complicated relationship with their city. Some love it and embrace its gritty urban spaces. Others, fearing crime and grime, avoid the once-vibrant inner city and CBD.
Our insights and experience told us that merely telling residents that the inner city is safe and welcoming would not build credibility. Instead, our strategy was to turn participation into proof. By capturing live, unscripted human experiences during physical activations, the people attending would become the primary creative asset and social proof.
Hence, we structured a two-phased approach in collaboration with Jozi My Jozi to encourage people to reclaim – and appreciate anew – their urban spaces:
- Phase 1 (proof of concept): Main Street Sundays (12 April 2026) – a pro bono, car-free activation based on the global Ciclovía (open streets) movement
- Phase 2 (scale): 702 Jozi My Jozi Walk the Talk (26 July 2026) – applying the proven organic social framework to a citywide event with 25 000 participants